Slides 2 Ethical Comm and Teamwork

Ethical Communication
and Teamwork
Bovee, C.L., & Thill, J.V. (2014). Business Communication

Today. (Global Ed.) Essex: Pearson Education Ltd.
Chapters 1 & 2
What is Ethical Communication?
• “includes all relevant information…and is not deceptive in any way.” (Bovee
& Thill, p. 10)
• Unethical communication examples:

• Plagiarism
• Omitting essential information
• Selective misquoting
• Misrepresenting numbers
• Distorting visuals
• Failing to respect privacy or information security needs
• Why are ethics so important in business? Don’t we just want to make the
most money?
Big problems in corporate ethics
• Volkswagen: The “Diesel Dupe”

“In September [2015], the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found
that many VW cars being sold in America had a "defeat device" - or software
- in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing
the performance accordingly to improve results. The German car giant has
since admitted cheating emissions tests in the US.”
(http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772)
3
How do we make ethical decisions?
1. Make sure you have defined the situation fairly and accurately
2. Make sure your intentions are honest and fair
3. Understand the impact your messages will have on others
4. Ensure that your messages will achieve the greatest possible
good while doing the least possible harm
5. Make sure your underlying assumptions won’t change over time
6. Make sure you are comfortable with your choices
4
Ethical decisions in action
• Imagine you and the members of your group are executive board
members of a sports company called “SunStar Sports”
• Your board is considering whether or not to go forward with funding a

project called “Pegasus”
• You asked the project managers to write up a memo with their suggestion,
though ultimately you will make the final decision about what to do
• Read the memo and answer the question. When you finish, let me know
5
Ethical decisions in action (pt. 2)
• What was your board’s final decision?
• In what ways was the first memo unethical?
• Why does something as small as a memo

matter in business communication?
6
7
8
Remember, ethical decisions start small…
• With your group, explain why you think each of the following is or
is not ethical:
1. Keeping quiet about a possible environmental hazard you’ve just
discovered in your company’s processing plant
2. Overselling the benefits of instant messaging to your company’s
managers; they never seem to understand the benefits of technology, so
you believe it’s the only way to convince them to make the right choice
3. Telling an associate and close friend that she needs to pay more
attention to her work responsibilities, or management will fire her
4. Recommending the purchase of equipment your department does really
need in order to use up your allocated funds before the end of the fiscal
year so that your budget won’t be cut next year—when you might have a
real need for the money
9
Teamwork in the Office
10
10
Diverse workplaces
What are some different kinds of “diversity”?

• Age
• Cultural
• Gender
• Religious
• Disabilities
What are the benefits of diversity?

Homogenous teams and their negative impacts
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZJgthgDmw)
What is the effect of homogenous teams in financial markets?
Intercultural Communication
• Imagine:
A young male manager from a German tire manufacturing company was

sent to Malaysia to negotiate a possible collaboration with a Malaysian tire
company. In the first meeting, the young German met with a female Muslim
representative and tried to shake her hand. She nodded her head instead.
The German seemed a little confused, but continued to introduce himself by
trying to hand her a bottle of German wine as a way to show sincerity in
collaborating with the Malaysian company. However, she refused to accept
it, causing an awkward situation.
What mistakes did the German manager make? What are some other
cultural differences that may be interfering with effective communication?
13
High- vs Low-context cultures
• High-context
• Where? Asia, Middle East, Africa
• Relies more on nonverbal actions and the environment
• Indirect styles of talking; use of metaphors
• Rules of everyday life are not made explicit
• Primary role of communication is building relationships
• Low-context
• Where? US, Europe
• Relies on verbal communication
• Rules and expectations are spelled out explicitly
• Primary role of communication is to exchange information
14
Homework
15
15
Coca-Cola’s Unethical Practices in India
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlsyjfwkIwU
Watch this video and let’s talk about it in class next week!

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Ethical Communication

Bovee, C.L., & Thill, J.V. (2014). Business Communication

• Unethical communication examples:

• Volkswagen: The “Diesel Dupe”

• Your board is considering whether or not to go forward with funding a

• What was your board’s final decision?

• In what ways was the first memo unethical?

• Why does something as small as a memo

What are some different kinds of “diversity”?

What are the benefits of diversity?

A young male manager from a German tire manufacturing company was

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